Archives for December 2010

Michigan State offensive coordinator Don Treadwell has been named the head football coach at Miami, the RedHawk Athletic Department announced Friday. Treadwell will be re-introduced to Miami fans and media at Miami University’s Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester on Jan. 10 at 5:45 p.m.

“It’s a dream come true to return to my alma mater Miami as head football coach,” said Treadwell, who has spent the past four seasons at Michigan State’s offensive coordinator. “Miami has always held a special place in my heart, and the opportunity to be a part of the ‘Cradle of Coaches’ is a privilege as well as a responsibility.

As I was sitting down to delve into my list of New Year’s resolutions, it dawned on me that I had to switch over to my laptop because I was quickly running out of paper. Then, I started to ponder the Minnesota Vikings prospects for the future and realized that my issues pale in comparison to Brett Favre. Those of us who are too lazy and impatient to sit in doctors’ offices instead rely on WebMD for information.

If it could only dispense medication, I would make it my homepage. The following analyses of Favre’s conditions are for entertainment purposes only.

Despite an economic climate that’s a bears a haunting and striking resemblance to the 1930s, people are opening their wallets to travel to the bowl bliss of college football.

Yes, it seems like there are way too many bowl games, yes many of them have ridiculous sounding and horribly corporate names, but people are still coming. And after all, who really wants less football? Who would want less football to choose from?

The college football game formerly known as the Dallas Football Classic is a pretty even-Stephen (like Colbert, a Northwestern alum) match on paper.

Same exact conference and overall records for both teams. Both programs don’t care much to run the ball, and they each have only one good win among their seven. Which is funny because the two teams they beat in those games (Iowa Hawkeyes, Missouri Tigers) played in a bowl a few days ago. Iowa beat Mizzou- good omen for NU?

I am a huge college basketball nerd. I know it and if you are a frequent visitor to the Sports Bank, you know it as well. So much in fact, that I create my own bracketology which is seventy times nerdier than making a NBA mock draft.

This year, there is more to take into account with the NCAA expanding the field to 68 teams. That means there will now be four play-in games held in Dayton. Two of those games will feature the final four at-large bids battling to be in the Field of 64. Same will go for the last four automatic qualifiers. Be sure to check back every week for updates on my Field of 68.

Only few would have properly predicted the location of the old west Texas town of El Paso for the reunion, but nonetheless, the famed Notre Dame/Miami rivalry reignites on New Year’s Eve near the Mexican border.

Bowl games are a great reward for the teams as the players and coaches get to enjoy a few days of activities and events leading up to the game, but once the ball is kicked, no one will care that Coach Kelly took the team shopping for new boots.

Yes, that did happen.

Both teams thought they were set at the quarterback position going into the season, but entering the bowl game, that is not the case for either squad.

Jacory Harris has been wildly inconsistent all season, and the injury to the Irish’s Dayne Crist has thrust untested Tommy Rees into more action his freshman year than anyone anticipated.

Ohio State has stormed to a 13-0 start, winning every game by double-digits. They are also 1-0 against the AP top-25 (win against former #10 Florida). While they haven’t been tested early on, the Big Ten schedule will prove just how tough the Buckeyes really are.

Game to Watch: OSU at Wisconsin, February 12. The Buckeyes are 0-7 at the Kohl Center during Bo Ryan’s current nine-year stint with the Badgers. This includes the Greg Oden/Conley runner-up team of ’06-’07. By the time these two teams meet, the Buckeyes may very well be the #1 team in the nation. The Badger football team already knocked off the then #1 ranked Buckeyes. Could this be a similar fate for the OSU basketball team? This may just be the best game out of the entire Big Ten schedule, let alone Ohio State’s.

The beauty of history is that it tells us where we’ve been in order to figure out where we’re going. Illinois took out Baylor in part one of Chicago Big Ten teams in the bowl “Texas Two-Step.” And on New Year’s Day, the Northwestern Wildcats will likewise have an opportunity to defeat a 7-5 Big 12 team in their home state; and a drivable distance from their campus. Just like the Illini did.

But before we get to previewing college football’s Ticket City Bowl vs. Texas Tech, let’s look back at where NU has been in the postseason. Well, it started nice…in 1949. But a half-century later, the holidays haven’t exactly been very happy for the Wildcats.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder top the Western Conference, while Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and LeBron James of the Miami Heat lead the Eastern Conference after the second returns of 2011 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile. Bryant, The Finals MVP last season, is the overall leader with 1,153,694 votes.

The 2011 NBA All-Star Game, which will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio in the U.S., and reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages, will be played at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles – on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011.

Did a NHL referee give a one-finger salute to fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets the other night? Possibly. Possibly not. Well, I’ve certainly learned in recent weeks about how to take criticism; never stoop down to your detractors’ level. I hope the official knows this as well.

Given that they are/were both Illinois Fighting Illini, wore the same jersey number, played the same position, and didn’t break out until their junior year (and when they broke out, they really did it in style) it’s inevitable to compare current Illini tailback Mikel Leshoure to current Pittsbrugh Steelers star running back Rashard Mendenhall.

And after Leshoure’s huge, record-setting game in the Texas Bowl, more people are making the analogy. Leshoure was even asked the question Wednesday night, in the post-game press conference. Both are local products. Leshoure is from Champaign (Centenniel h.s.) and Mendenhall is from suburban Skokie (Niles West h.s.).

The Wolves’ record dropped to 8-25 after Wednesday night’s 119-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets. But throughout the season they have shown that they may be just a move or two away from becoming a playoff contender for the 2011-12 season.

Over the past 24 hours a whirlwind of rumors have surrounded the Minnesota Timberwolves, and as Wednesday as an indicator, the Wolves may in fact be close to making these moves happen.